The Music of Star Trek, Part III

I decided to group the top five soundtracks for the Star Trek franchise all together because they're all so excellent that it was really hard to figure out which ones I liked the most. I honestly was torn when coming up with this list of the top 5 Star Trek scores because the music for each film is really excellent.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier / Jerry Goldsmith
If there is one shining light in the mess that is Star Trek 5, it's Jerry Goldsmith's superb score which manages to rise above the fray. It's wonderful to hear the return of Goldsmith's theme for the Enterprise that he originated in The Motion Picture, as well as more extensive use of his Klingon battle theme. His music for the mountain climbing sequence at the beginning of the movie is beautiful and it's a shame it's only other use is in the film's penultimate scene to represent the friendship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy which is a major part of the movie. It's a very minor gripe, though, about a score that is otherwise excellent.

Highlights: 3. The Mountain / 7. Target Practice / 8. A Tall Ship / 12. Open the Gates / 14. Without Help / 20. The Barrier / 21. A Busy Man / 22. An Angry God / 23-24. Let's Get Out of Here / 25. Cosmic Thoughts / 26. Life Is a Dream (End Credits)

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4. Star Trek: First Contact / Jerry & Joel Goldsmith
After hearing it's beautiful French Horn theme for the first time in the movie theater in 1996, I was hooked on this soundtrack. Jerry and Joel Goldsmith's soundtrack for Star Trek: First Contact was the first movie soundtrack I ever owned and thus has a special place in my heart. The music is top notch from the father and son duo, though some of the music for the Data/Borg Queen scenes is a little too low-key for my taste. Otherwise, from its suspenseful and menacing use of the Borg theme to the main theme representing First Contact with the Vulcans, this remains one of my favorites in the franchise.

Highlights: 1. Main Title / 6. Red Alert / 14. Retreat / 23. Bridge Argument / 24. This Far, No Further / 25. Evacuate / 28. Flight of the Phoenix / 29. First Contact / 30. End Credits

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3. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan / James Horner
Having to follow-up Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-nominated score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture would seem like a daunting task that no one could live up to yet young composer James Horner rose to the occasion for The Wrath of Khan. Both Horner's primary and secondary themes soar with great beauty that stand apart from Goldsmith's Enterprise theme. His scoring during the film's space battle scenes is fantastic, perfectly capturing the suspense and thrill of what we see onscreen. Horner's score is an instant Trek classic!

Highlights: 1. Main Title / 5. Enterprise Clears Moorings / 7. Spock / 8. Kirk Takes Command & He Tasks Me / 10. Surprise Attack / 11. Kirk's Explosive Reply / 17. Battle in the Mutara Nebula / 18. Enterprise Attacks Reliant / 19. Genesis Countdown / 20. Spock (Dies) / 21. Amazing Grace / 22. Epilogue & End Credits



2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture / Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith set the bar pretty high with his score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. From his theme for the Enterprise (which would go on to be the main theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation) to his Klingon battle theme and his music for the V'Ger flying sequences, Goldsmith's music manages to stand above the movie it helps narrate. If there was a Star Trek score that should've taken Best Original Score in the Academy Awards, this is the one that deserved it the most. Full review

Highlights: 2. Main Title & Klingon Battle / 4. Floating Office / 5. The Enterprise / 8. Leaving Drydock / 11. Spock's Arrival / 13. Meet V'Ger / 15. V'Ger Flyover / 18. Games & Spock Walk / 21. Inner Workings / 23. The Meld & A New Start / 24. End Title / 25. Ilia's Theme

1. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country / Cliff Eidelman

It would seem fitting that the #1 spot this list should go to Jerry Goldsmith's The Motion Picture. At the end of the day, Cliff Eidelman's one visit to the franchise in The Undiscovered Country rests as my favorite score. As soon as its first six notes begin to play you know that this is going to be something different and it truly is the most unique score in the entire franchise. Eidelman and director Nicholas Meyer were really smart to not worry about topping what came before with another fantastic march but instead create a beast of its own for this movie and it really works. Eidelman's music captures the suspense wonderfully while also doing a remarkable job scoring the quiet moments. His majestic theme representing the crew (used very sparingly) is outstanding especially in its rendition at the end of the movie. And who can go without mentioning the music during the climactic race to prevent war as the music grows louder and quicker with each passing moment. It's a shame Eidelman's career hasn't been bigger and I wish that he would get the opportunity to revisit this franchise for he truly delivered a classic score.

Highlights: 1. Overture / 3. Spacedock & Clear All Moorings / 4. Spock's Wisdom / 6. Assassination / 7. Surrender for Peace / 11. Rura Penthe & First Sight of Rura Penthe / 13. First Evidence & The Search / 14. Escape from Rura Penthe / 18. Dining On Ashes / 19. The Battle for Peace / 20. The Undiscovered Country / 21. Sign Off / 22. Star Trek VI Suite

The Music of Star Trek, Part II

8. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock / James Horner
James Horner's second offering to the Star Trek franchise is solid but not as successful as his first. Maintaining continuity between the two pictures, Horner gives more prominent focus to his secondary theme from The Wrath of Khan, giving it it's best rendition in the sweepingly beautiful Prologue and Main Title. His theme for the Klingons isn't very successful, consisting mostly of a lot of banging and clanging in the percussion section. The score's best moments come during the theft of the Enterprise sequence and as the crew returns in their stolen Klingon bird-of-prey to Vulcan. It's a good score that falls into the middle of the batch amongst the excellent music consisting of the Star Trek film franchise.

Highlights: 1. Prologue and Main Title / 6. Stealing the Enterprise / 12. Genesis Destroyed / 13. Returning to Vulcan / 15. End Titles

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7. Star Trek: Insurrection / Jerry Goldsmith
For Insurrection Jerry Goldsmith presents a gentle theme to represent the Ba'Ku people and some of the franchise's finest action music. Despite this, he never seems to really receive the opportunity to let his music shine the way he does with his other scores. That's not through any fault of his own as Insurrection plays more like a two-part episode than a feature film (see my May 2009 review). For what he's given, though, Goldsmith delivers.

Highlights: 1. Main Title and The Ba'Ku Village / 4. In Custody / 8. A Few Loose Ends / 10. New Sight / 13. Insurrection / 14. Not Functioning / 19. The Drones Attack / 20. The Riker Maneuver



6. Star Trek / Michael Giacchino
Following JJ Abrams' leads, Michael Giacchino takes the music of Star Trek in a much different dirrection than the rest of the franchise. He presents three very strong themes for Kirk, Spock and the villain Nero with Kirk's theme being the most prominent. Having said that, it feels like Kirk's theme (as heard in the cue Enterprise Young Men) should've been more. The action music is very exciting though similar to Giacchino's previous works. Overall, it's a solid score though there seems to be more style than substance here.

A big gripe that I have though (without holding it against Giacchino's music itself) is the mixing of the orchestra. For whatever reason, there is very little reverb in the mix, giving the orchestra a very dry sound. Hopefully Giacchino rectifies this technique in future scores.

Highlights: 4. Nailin' the Kelvin / 5. Labor of Love / 8. One Proud Mother / 14. Enterprising Young Men / 19. Chutes and Matter / 30. Nice to Meld You / 32. I Gotta Beam Me / 36. Trekking Down the Narada / 39. Nero Death Experience / 43. That New Car Smell / 45. End Credits

The Music of Star Trek, Part I

11. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home / Leonard Rosenman
Despite a fan main title anthem, Leonard Rosenman's score is a mixed bag. The sounds found here don't match those in any other incarnation in the franchise and though (in concept) that's not a bad thing, Rosenman's sound doesn't work here. The cues representing the alien probe don't make for easy listening.

Highlights: 1. Logos & Main Title / 10. Hospital Chase / 14. Home Again & End Credits
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10. Star Trek: Generations / Dennis McCarthy
Dennis McCarthy has provided more music for the Star Trek franchise than any other composer, having provided music for episodes for every modern television series. Unfortunately, McCarthy is never able to shake the television mindset as he makes the jump to the big screen with the crew of The Next Generation and most of his music sounds like it could be found in another episode. That's not to see it's not enjoyable; it certainly is. Unfortunately, when in comparison to the works of Goldsmith, Horner and Eidelman, McCarthy's score falls short.

Highlights: 16. Coolant Leak & Crash Landing / 24. To Live Forever
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9. Star Trek Nemesis / Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith's fifth and final score in the Star Trek franchise is also his weakest. There's very little going on in the first half of the score and it's not until the last half does he really open up the orchestra's sound. Unfortunately, when he does the action music is rather uninspired, especially for someone renowned for scoring action movies. One of the score's biggest problems is its lack of a distinguishable main theme. It's a shame that Goldsmith finishes his Trek career like the cast of TNG; with a whimper.

Highlights: 4. Enterprise Flyover / 21. The Scorpion / 24. Preparing for Battle / 25. The Battle Begins / 28. Team Work / 34. Final Flight

Soundtrack Review: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Jerry Goldsmith)

Despite the film itself being a disappointment, Jerry Goldsmith's score is not, going on to become known as the definitive Star Trek movie score. Goldsmith's score is completely memorable, establishing timeless themes, including a main theme that would not only represent the Enterprise, but also be later used a the theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation, cementing its place as the definitive Star Trek theme.

Goldsmith's score is very diverse and innovative, as it is heard in many different forms from majestic and stately (Track 2 - Main Title & Track 4 - Total Logic) to romantic (Track 6 - The Enterprise). In addition to a main theme, he always created two other very memorable leitmotifs for the film. The first we are introduced to is the theme to represent the Deltan navigator Ilia and her romance with Will Decker (Track 1 - Ilia's Theme). The theme remains Star Trek's only love theme. Goldsmith spreads it throughout his score, particularly at the film's climax (Track 15 - Vejur Speaks & Track 16 - The Meld). It remains a highlight of the score.

The second theme is the Klingon theme (Track 3 - Klingon Battle). The theme perfectly represents Star Trek's most popular alien villains, and would later be used to represent the herocis of Lt. Worf in Goldsmith's TNG scores. While composers for both later movies and later series would try to create a theme of their own for the Klingons, no theme remains as successful or popular as the theme originally crafted by Goldsmith.

Goldsmith's score for the longer, effects-driven sections of the movie are some of his finest writing, mixing the right amount of suspense, mystery and drama that was otherwise lacking in the movie itself. Goldsmith's innovation of what would become known as the "Blaster Beam" (heard at the beginning of Track 3 - Klingon Battle and most of "the Cloud" portions of the score) is a trademark of Goldsmith's ability to come up with new and different sounds to enhance the universes he has been assigned to musically represent.

Goldsmith's theme is a classic, and while it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1979, it's a shame that it did not receive the Oscar itself as it truly deserved. Jerry Goldsmith set a very high standard that would not be easy to live up to. This is truly a great, epic score that unfortunately was far superior to the movie it represented. Whether it's fair or not, every Star Trek score to-date is compared to this Goldsmith gem.

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Track Listing
1. Ilia's Theme (3:03)
2. Main Title (1:24)
3. Klingon Battle (5:28)
4. Total Logic (3:44)
5. Floating Office (1:04)
6. The Enterprise (6:00)
7. Leaving Drydock (3:31)
8. Spock's Arrival (2:01)
9. The Cloud (5:00)
10. Vejur Flyover (4:59)
11. The Force Field (5:04)
12. Games (3:42)
13. Spock Walk (4:21)
14. Inner Workings (3:03)
15. Vejur Speaks (3:51)
16. The Meld (3:10)
17. A Good Start (2:27)
18. End Title (3:16)